Teller mechanism

ABSTRACT

A theft proof teller mechanism comprised of a rotatable plate with a bullet resistant upstanding cylindrical wall with an access opening. The access opening can be presented to either the public or the cashier by rotation of the cylinder through the use of a push button motor which is preferably automatically stopped after 180* rotation. A slip clutch in the drive motor drive provides for &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;finger pinch&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; protection.

I United States Patent [151 3,702,101

Moore Nov. 7, 1972 [54] TELLER MECHANISM FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Inventor: George Mwre, Jamestown, 1,708,495 7/1966 Germany ..109/11 [73] Assignee: Watson Manufacturing Company,

1 Jamestown N Y Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado Filed: Dec. 1970- Attorney-Norman N. Holland [21] Appl. No.: 101,593 [57] ABSTRACT A theft proof teller mechanism comprised of a rotata- [52] US. Cl. ..109/19 ble plate with a bullet resistant upstanding cylindrical ll'lt. Cl. wall an access opening The access opening can [58] Field of Search ..l09/l9, ll be presented to either the public or the cashier by rotation of the cylinder through the use of a push but- [56] References C'ted ton motor which is preferably automatically stopped UNITED STATES PATENTS after 180 rotation. A slip clutch in the drive motor drive provides for finger pinch protection. 1,958,321 5/1934 Stadtler ..109/19 1,669,540 5/1928 Smart ..l09/ 19 16 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDNBV 1 I912 SHEET 2 UP 4 I N VENTOR u a a a 0 O0 PATENTEDNH 7 I972 SHEET 3 or 4 mm r M5 M Q. M

Pmmmuv mm saw u N4 UUUUUUU UUUUUUU UUUUUUU UUUUUUU UUUUUU UUUUUUU UUUUUU 5 UUUUUD v# ?4, /%%/z///%/ /z% UUUUUU UUUUUU UUUUUUU UDUUUUU UUUUUUU UUUUUUU UUUUUUU UUUUUUU L 3' INVENTOR. Games 6 Home AfrOP/YE) TELLER MECHANISM DESCRIPTION It has been the practice for many years to separate bank cashiers, or others handling money or other valuables, from the public by means of an array of bars or simply a small aperture in a partition.v These forms of cashier protection have not deterred the use of guns by robbers and have failed to furnish adequate safeguard from theft or harm to cashiers.

The present invention is directed to theft proof teller mechanisms and in particular to an improved theft proof teller transaction equipment which provides protection for the teller while providing smooth, fast and efficient transactions.

Generally, a tellers booth has a public side and a cashier side separated by a partition. The public side hasa counter along the front wall. Often a transparent break-resistant glass partition extends upward from the a front wall sothat the public is separated from the teller.

A transaction notch is provided in the front wall in order to give access and communication between the public and the cashier.

According to the present invention, a rotatable security deal plate assembly is mounted in the transaction notch. The assembly plate is comprised of a rotatable circular, plate with a bullet resistant upstanding cylindrical wall which has an access opening therein. A drive motor is used to move the plate and electrical stop switches are provided to stop the rotatable cylinder so that the access opening is either facing the public side or the cashiers side.

In practice of the present invention, a member of the public would place his deposit on the security deal plate through the access opening. The teller would then activate the motor through a push button switch and the plate would rotate until the access opening is in front of the teller and a stop switch would turn the motor off.

Among the objects of the present invention is an improved teller transaction booth.

Another object of the present invention is a rotatable theft proof deal plate.

Another object of the present invention is a rotatable theft proof deal plate which automatically stops after 180 rotation.

Another object of the present invention is a rotatable deal plate in which pinch finger protection is provided.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occurto one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, wherein:

. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention taken from the front or public side of the teller cage;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the teller equipment from the rear or teller side of the cage;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of the invention showing the manner in which a transaction is placed within the deal plate by the public;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the manner in which the material is taken by the teller;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the construction of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top view showing the deal plate in one position; and

FIG. 8 is a top view showing the deal plate in the other position.

The drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention in atypical cashiers booth.

The booth comprises a wall 1 flanked by side members 2. In use, the cashiers booth would be adjacent to other cashier booths or some other means of preventing the public from going around the booth.

On the public side of the booth, there are shelves 3 to provide a writing and working surface for the public. The upper portion of the wall 1 supports a transparent break-resistant partition 5 which allows the public and the cashier to maintain visual contact with each other. A transaction notch 7 is provided in the upper part of the wall 1 for access between the public and the cashiers sides.

In the transaction notch 7 is mounted a bullet resistant deal plate assembly 20 comprising a front wall 8, a rear wall 40 and side walls 41 and rotatable plate 9 with upright walls 17. Transparent and bullet resistant top wall 6, preferably made of l 3/16 inch bullet resistant glass, is mounted over the assembly 20 to allow a view of what is on the deal plate 9. A front window 42 and rear window 10 are provided in the front and rear walls 8 and 40, respectively.

A rotatable plate 9 having an upstanding bullet resistant wall 17 is mounted in assembly 20. The'wall 17 has access opening 11. The front and rear windows 42 and 10 are of such size so as to be spanned by the access opening 11 in the wall 17. The plate 9 is preferably a circular metal plate and the wall 17 is a metal bullet resistant cylinder with a portion removed to form the access opening 11. Support bracket 18 is also attached to plate 9 and serves to support a rear shield 19 which lies opposite access opening 11 and which preferably is made of plastic.

The plate 9 rests on disc 43. Motor 12 rotates sprocket 14 which causes timing belt 15 to rotate sprocket 16. Sprocket 16 is attached to disc 43 which rotates with it. Switch 44 is a push button type of switch and is used to energize motor 12.

The weight of the plate 9 on disc 43 provides the friction desired to rotate plate 9. However, if an obstacle, such as a persons finger, were caught in the opening 11, it would overcome the torque and cause slippage between plate 9 and disc 43 to avoid damage.

As it will be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, upstanding bullet resistant cylindrical wall 17 prevents the public from reaching the cashier at any time. Should some member of the public attempt to threaten the cashier with a gun, it would be to no avail since wall 17 affords maximum protection to the cashier. When the access opening 11 is toward the public side (FIG. 7), the wall 17 prevents the cashier from being reached. When the access opening 11 is on the cashiers side (FIG. 8), the wall 17 prevents the public from reaching into the deal plate. Since the distance between the openings 10 and 42 is greater than the width of each and the openings 10 and 42 do not exceed the width of openings 10 and 42, there is no danger of the public having access to the teller.

Motor 12 is energized by switch 44 and causes shaft 22 to rotate. Sprocket 14 is attached to shaft 22 and is maintained attached by set screws 23. The rotational energy of sprocket 14 is communicated to sprocket 16 by timing belt 15. Sprocket 16 is attached to shaft 13 by set screwsi24 and disc 43 is attached to shaft 13. Ball bearings 25 provide support to disc 43. Metal piece 26 is attached to disc 43 while metal piece 27 is attached to toolbase 28 with screw 29. Metal piece 26 and 27 capture ball bearings 25. Use of ball bearings 25 provides suitable support for unbalanced loading of plate 9 and relieves the possible incident of strain on shaft 13.

Shield 19 is attached to bracket 18 by bolts 60. Bracket 18 is attached to plate 9 with bolts 31. Micro switch 33 is used to de-energize motor 12 so that wall 17 stops in a position to permit access either from the public side or the cashiers side. After motor 12 has been energized by switch 44, plate 9 sitting on disc 43 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction until cams 34 or 35 depress micro switches so that motor 12 is deenergized. The positioning of micro switch 33 with respect to cams 34 and 35 determines the stopping of shield 17 after a rotation of 180. The switch 21 is. a master switch which controls the power input.

In operation, the present invention would be used where security of a cashier is required. Among the situations where this would be desirable is in a bank or a check cashing service. For example, in a check cashing service, a member of the public would approach the cashiers booth from the public side 1 and upon being recognized by the cashier, the cashier would activate motor 12 by switch 44 so that the access opening 11 in wall 17 is presented to the customer. The customer would then place his check on plate 9 but cannot reach the cashier because of wall 17.

Having done that, the cashier would energize switch 44 which would cause plate 9 to rotate around until cam 34 activated micro switch 33 and stopped the plate 9 with the access opening 11 facing the cashier. But the customer cannot have access to plate 9 because of wall 17. The cashier would then remove the check and place a quantity of money on plate 9 and again depress push button 44. The plate 9 would then rotate around to favor the customer and customer would then remove the money from the plate 9.

' As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is claimed:

1. A teller mechanism comprising a partition having a public and a cashier side, transaction notch means in said partition, rotatable deal plate means mounted in said transaction notch means, said rotatable deal plate means having a rear shield and having a peripheral wall with an access opening therein, means for moving said plate means from a position where the access opening faces the public side to a position where the access opening is spaced from the public side and is accessible from the cashier side, said rotatable deal plate means comprising an assembly having a front wall mounted in the transaction notch, said front wall having a window adapted to be spanned by the access opening, the walls and the shield of the deal late bei b tant' ll fl h with said top wall, and sa id rear being su st aiiitially flush with said front wall when the access opening faces the cashier side.

2. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rotatable plate is a circular plate.

3. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 2 wherein a shield is provided opposite said access opening.

4. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein said shield is a chord of said wall and has substantially the same height as said wall.

5. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein a motor is provided for rotating said plate.

6. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein a slip means are provided for said plate. 7

7. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 6 wherein said plate rests on a rotatable disc and is frictionally engaged with the disc to rotate with it.

8. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein switch means are provided for rotating said plate.

9. A teller mechanism assembly comprising a front wall with a window therein, a rotatable deal plate, said rotatable plate means having a rear shield and a peripheral wall with an access opening therein, means for moving said plate means from a position where the access opening isadjacent the window side to position where the access opening is spaced for said window, said assembly having a top wall, the wall and the shield of the deal plate being substantially, flush with said top wall, and said rear shield being substantially flush with said front wall when the access opening faces the cashier side.

10. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein said rotatable plate is a circular plate.

11. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein a shield is provided opposite said access opening.

12. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 1 wherein said shield is a chord of said wall and has substantially the same height as said wall.

13. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein a motor is provided for rotating said plate.

14. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein a slip means are provided for said plate.

15. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 14 wherein said plate rests on a rotatable disc and is frictionally engaged with said disc to rotate with it.

16. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein switch means are provided for rotating said plate. 

1. A teller mechanism comprising a partition having a public and a cashier side, transaction notch means in said partition, rotatable deal plate means mounted in said transaction notch means, said rotatable deal plate means having a rear shield and having a peripheral wall with an access opening therein, means for moving said plate means from a position where the access opening faces the public side to a position where the access opening is spaced from the public side and is accessible from the cashier side, said rotatable deal plate means comprising an assembly having a front wall mounted in the transaction notch, said front wall having a window adapted to be spanned by the access opening, the walls and the shield of the deal plate being substantially flush with said top wall, and said rear shield being substantially flush with said front wall when the access opening faces the cashier side.
 2. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rotatable plate is a circular plate.
 3. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 2 wherein a shield is provided opposite said access opening.
 4. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein said shield is a chord of said wall and has substantially the same height as said wall.
 5. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein a motor is provided for rotating said plate.
 6. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein a slip means are provided for said plate.
 7. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 6 wherein said plate rests on a rotatable disc and is frictionally engaged with the disc to rotate with it.
 8. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein switch means are provided for rotating said plate.
 9. A teller mechanism assembly comprising a front wall with a window therein, A rotatable deal plate, said rotatable plate means having a rear shield and a peripheral wall with an access opening therein, means for moving said plate means from a position where the access opening is adjacent the window side to position where the access opening is spaced for said window, said assembly having a top wall, the wall and the shield of the deal plate being substantially flush with said top wall, and said rear shield being substantially flush with said front wall when the access opening faces the cashier side.
 10. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein said rotatable plate is a circular plate.
 11. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein a shield is provided opposite said access opening.
 12. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 11 wherein said shield is a chord of said wall and has substantially the same height as said wall.
 13. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein a motor is provided for rotating said plate.
 14. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein a slip means are provided for said plate.
 15. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 14 wherein said plate rests on a rotatable disc and is frictionally engaged with said disc to rotate with it.
 16. A teller mechanism as claimed in claim 9 wherein switch means are provided for rotating said plate. 